Check out Margaret I've put random pictures of my joys and below are my thoughts on finding joyFinding Joy: This is such a simple action because it only takes opening you eyes to what is around you, opening your ears to sounds around you, opening your heart to beauty around you.
I have a life long friend that has decline in health and spirit the last five years. I picked her up early one morning (we both love to yard sale) and I promise you she looked like she hated everything and everybody. I took her to McDonald instead and bought her coffee and said sit. "Tell me where has all your joy went." I was not prepared for to the bitterness and sorrow that poured out the next two hours. To sum up her lack of joy... her life has not turned out like she planned it.Errrr Hello ... you can't just plan it you have to live it... be active in the steps taken .. and stop crying when things happen... change them.
So I cried a river that day... sobs of heartache for a dear friend I couldn't help. Every plan I suggested was shot down...
Her..I want to travel but can't afford it...
Me..book a low cost trip in advance... plan it with the knowledge of how much you can spend. Doesn't your brother have a camper.... ask to borrow it that will cut cost in half
Her... we're not talking he hasn't called me in weeks
Me... have you called him?Her... oh you always did take his side
Me ... sigh
Then I took the big plunge: I told her that her lack of happiness was a problem only she could fix. Thinking up excuses are so much easier that finding an achievable path to joy. I told her to start small... take a walk and look... really look at the beauty just outside her door.
I went home and hugged my husband, kids, grandkids, dogs and thought about hugging a chicken but thought better of it..... no joy in being pecked and getting chicken poop on you.So finally, my thoughts on finding joy.... only you can do it... you can't find others joy. A person's joys are as different as fingerprints.
I"m going to list my top ten
1. Greeting the early morning ... with a cup of coffee in my hand I walk my yard to enjoy my flowers and throw the ball for my dogs then going to the barn
2. Feeding my chickens and cats... I get up one hour early to spend time with them before I go to work
3. Sitting on my front porch and napping... I have tons to do but everything else can wait
4. Finding a great book that I can't put down
5. yard sale and thrift store visits with friends or by myself
6. Quilting
7. My family... their joys fill my heart... their joys are my joys
8. helping others... I deliver over 12 dozen eggs every week to elderly and single moms
9. Watching movies with my grandbabies... I;m the type person that watches a movie over and over...the babies broadens my selections... they will not watch a movie they've seen... except Harry Potter
10. finally but not last My husband... he makes me mad enough to spit but he is my joy
7 comments:
I love this post, and I love your list! Joy is an attitude, a state of mind. We can choose joy every moment. And yes, it is so sad that we can't create joy for another, at least not reliably. It's up to us to choose joy. Love thinking of you with your chickens. :) xo
I love this post too. What a sad story about your friend who lost her joy. You're right. We can't cook up joy for someone else. But what a lesson to learn second-hand. I also love your joy list. No wonder you're a joyful person--you do a lot for others, which is a great joy generator.
Thanks for sharing the ways you find joy. As you learned with your friend, we are in control of how we respond to life. I choose to respond with joy.
Patricia, this line really resonated with me: Finding Joy: This is such a simple action because it only takes opening you eyes to what is around you, opening your ears to sounds around you, opening your heart to beauty around you. Your comments at the end were all ways to find joy but I especially liked the one that talks of grandbabies. My first is soon to arrive and I wrote about that joy in my SJT post today. Have a great weekend. (PS: I left you a comment on your gardening post.)
I laughed out loud when you said hug a chicken but thought better of. You are right we have to choose to see the joy around us.
This post reminded me of a poem I wrote about this and had planned to put it up for just this day...then I forgot I'd started it Arggg!
It's called "Avoiding Joy", and it fits your friend. I've known too many people who live lives that didn't "go as planned" - and that is exactly the problem, yet should be the joy! No person's life goes "as planned", it goes "as lived". I'd hate to think what I'd be like if I had planned out my life and it didn't pan out. My best chapters were unforeseen!
You gave good advice. That is all you can do. The rest is on her.
(maybe I'll post the poem later today or on Friday)
Such a joyful list. I like thinking of you napping on the front porch and passing on the thought to hug a chicken. Loved seeing the pic of you quilting. Thanks for the reminder to find our own personal joys.
Post a Comment